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House of Tofu Soup
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
19 reviews for House of Tofu Soup
Review Highlights
"Their seafood pancake is really good too."
(in 5 reviews)
"Ok, the soon doo boo chigae is still excellent."
(in 3 reviews)
"We also had the tofu soup and bulgogi combo."
(in 3 reviews)
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19 reviews in English
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Review from Peggy l.
Burnaby, BC
12/17/2011
yummm. Now im hungry again. :) I've tried many tofu soup, and house of tofu soup is the best one. especially in winter time, I have to eat it every other weeks. Just love it.
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Review from Kim L.
Vancouver, BC
12/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
We ordered the mixed tofu soup combo with bulgogi. Since we were so hungry from the long drive there, we also got the seafood pancake and stir fried octopus. Our side dishes consisted of potato salad, kimchee, seaweed, and pickled turnip. I was so excited to try this place since it was highly recommended by fellow Yelpers.
The mixed tofu soup was flavorful and the bulgogi was good, but the service was really slow and unattentive. I don't know if they were having a bad day, but I almost felt like I was bothering them if I needed more tea or some other request. It's really difficult for me to find a tofu house here to replace some of the best soon doo boo houses from back home. Solid establishment for tofu soup, but I'm still not wowed.
And so the quest continues... -
Review from Odette C.
Vancouver, BC
6/28/2011 3 Check-ins Here
I am a novice @ Korean cuisine. I have to admitt 90% of the time I go for Korean BBQ only so other food is not so familiar to me.
I've had the tofu soup @ other Korean restaurants, House of Tofu Soup is by far the BEST I've tasted. Always go for at least medium spicy as my dad's mild is less flavorful than my medium.
My recommendation is to go for the Bulgogi + Tofu soup combo. You get 4 cold appy; seaweed, mashed potato with corn (sweet), kimchi and pickled daikon. You can ask for refills if you finish one of the appys. They used to serve a garlic daikon soup (cold) but the last time we went they did not give us this one.
Beef bulgogi is good, small portion. Even better if you stir in the egg yolk from the small egg you get for the tofu soup.
Tofu soup as mentioned is excellent. Good broth, tofu is extra smooth.
Also included is rice cooked in a stone pot. After server served the rice ask her to pour some cold tea into the pot. This will be a good after you eat the tofu.
Small selection of other Korean dishes also served though I have not tried. -
Review from Marc D.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 2/14/2011 1 photo
* Confusing washroom signs *
Ok, the soon doo boo chigae is still excellent. Nothing has changed on that front.
But the confusing men's washroom signs have changed. Gone is the sign that said, "Do not flush toilet paper/pads/tempons(sic)" from the men's room.
It has now been replaced with a "Pregnancy and alcohol do not mix" sign. Ok. I hope that all of the pregnant men in the men's washroom don't drink too much alcohol! At least the non-pregnant men are now allowed to flush their tampons and pads in the toilet apparently!
Since Leah always gives me a hard time for not taking photos of washrooms, this one is dedicated to her: http://www.yelp.ca/biz...Listed in: Engrish, Vancouver Korean Food
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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2/4/2009
Still loving this place. Visited tonight for a repeat of the soon doo boo chigae. Just as good… Read more »
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Review from Christina P.
Vancouver, BC
2/27/2011
They are the only Korean restaurant in the area dedicated to Korean tofu soup so they can points for that...
However, compared to their neighbors down in the states (aka Book Chang Dong Soon Doo Boo/Tofu Soup), they are cheap... all the major tofu soup places in the states come with better selection of tofu soup and a fish per person... but this place is kinda stingy with their offerings. I like that they do stone pot cooked rice though.. and their selection of banchan is one of the better ones I've seen in the Coquitlam area.
Their seafood pancake is really good too. Kinda pricey but the portions are fairly big so go try it next time you are there, especially if you like the non-spicy Korean food -
Review from Karen M.
Burnaby, BC
10/11/2010
Good quality Korean food! I haven't been back for ages but I was recently asked to take some out-of-towners for an authentic ethnic food experience and this place popped into mind.
Warning: If you're super picky about service, you are going to less than love this place. The waitress didn't come around to take our order until 30 min after we had been seated. Also, she never brought tea, even after being asked several times.
However, people come from all over Vancouver to steal a taste of their tofu soup and believe me, it's worth it!
To try:
1. Tofu soup (obviously) and bulgogi combo - You get a good bang for your buck but be prepared for the bulgogi to come out as a pretty small portion. (In general, the portion sizes for the combos are smaller than if you order the dishes individually). I find that the non-spicy tofu soup is less flavourful than the spicy.
After they scoop out the rice from the stone bowl for the tofu soup, they will pour cold tea into it the bowl. The tea and rice are supposed to be eaten as as a dessert after your meal.
2. The sweet mashed potatoes appetizers (they come for free so don't look for it on the menu). They look AND melt in your mouth like ice cream...steal them before your dinner mates do!
3. Rice cakes. Saucy and not too doughy. I only wish they had a bigger serving! But again, I was out with 5 other people and ordered it as a combo....lesson learned.
The bill? Each person only had to pay $11.60. Sweetness. -
Review from Adelina W.
Richmond, BC
8/29/2010
Love this place! Everything was very tasty and flavourful. I ordered the rice cakes with beef and broccoli. The sauce that it came in was so delicious. I probably could have eaten just the sauce with some rice. We also had the tofu soup and bulgogi combo. For the tofu soup we got the white (aka not spicy) dumpling soup. The dumplings were a little weird - kind of mushy inside. The bulgogi we selected pork. It was cooked in a kimchi sauce, but it wasn't over powering.
Service was really good. We arrived before the dinner rush, but as we left, the place was almost full. They had an interesting way of serving the tofu soup - they brought a huge cart over and scooped the rice from the stone bowl tableside. The side dishes served were very different from most places: seaweed, mashed potatoes, some kind of pickled veggie and the obligatory kimchi. An egg was provided too, to be stirred into the soup.
All in all, this was a great experience and I'll definitely be back to try some of the other options. -
Review from Andrea B.
Burnaby, BC
7/28/2010
I LOVE KOREAN TOFU soup (aka soon doo-boo)...it's something I hanker for at least once every month...even in the boiling recesses of summer. Addicted? Yes. So, I've tried my fair share @ different K-restaurants. You think no one can go wrong with this dish but trust me, they can! Thankfully, this restaurant lives up to its name.
My go-to dish is always the seafood tofu hot pot and it was delicious! It's all about the soup! For newbies: the extra something-something in the soup is from the egg so break the yolk and mix it into the liquidy goodness!
Also tried the mushroom tofu hot pot and that was delicious too. Obviously, the soup has a mushroomy kick which I enjoyed muchly (and I hate mushrooms) as I continuously reached over to slurp it away.
The food - awesome. The only bummer is the parking. People who have driven the area know the streets are badly laid out and parking could fit maybe 10 cars? Which also means an itty bitty parking lot so if people are trying to park their cars while other people are leaving...that constitutes are very sketchy situation. And seriously, the parking at this place is always full! -
Review from Merdy T.
12/27/2010
My family and I went to this place on Christmas day, and we are so lucky that they were open. For my only experience, I'll give this place 3 stars for the following reasons:
1. The seafood pancake was rather dissapointing. It's too doughy, and I feel that the seafoods (squid, shrimp, clams) weren't fresh and fishy. The texture of the squid was funny.
2. Kimchi chigae was too sour and intense for my taste.
3. The tofu soup was good, and the tofu was very silky.
4. Stir fried octopus was good: lots of octopus pieces (some places give you more veggies than octopus), perfect spiciness.
5. Yummy side dishes, especially the kimchi and the mashed potato.
Considering there are so many other great Korean restaurants around Vancouver and Coquitlam area, I'd expect the foods to taste better. If this place opens in a city like Madison, WI, however, this would be my go-to place to satisfy my craving for kimchi. -
Review from P C.
Coquitlam, BC
7/26/2011
Love the combo with the grill plate and tofu soup!!!
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Review from Joe L.
Vancouver, BC
9/12/2010
First off, it's not about the restaurant. Don't refer to the map on the listing. it is not pinning on the location of the restaurant. Use your own GPS to locate the restaurant by the address on the listing which is correct. Strange.
Great tofu soup! I had mine with seafood at regular spiciness. Portion was just perfect with lots of tofu, shrimps and little clams. The best parts were waiting for the raw egg to cook to medium boiled in the bubbling hot soup and the crispy rice at the bottom of the stone pot.
It's totally worth the drive from downtown where we live. -
Review from Claudia L.
Burnaby, BC
6/17/2009 2 photos
No matter how many times I tell myself, we always order way more than we can handle. Perhaps its because we always seem to visit when we're in extreme hunger (e.g. after hiking The Chief) and are further triggered by the delicious smells of bulgogi and Korean hot pot.
New equation for # dishes to order:
# dishes = # people - 1 (# people must be greater than or equal to 2).
Huge portions of truly authentic Korean food that truly hits the spot. I love love LOVE the tiny appetizer dishes that come with all the meals: kimchi, mashed potatoes, seaweed, pickled daikon, bean sprouts and more. Especially delicious is the cold daikon soup they serve that is, so far to me, unique to this place.
Don't be afraid that half the staff speaks broken English because pointing and nodding is enough body language to move the conversation:
Waitress: "What" *points at me* "want?" *question face*
Me: "We want" *points at #3, 10, 13*
Waitress: *nods*
*ten minutes elapse and bibimbap, seafood tofu hotpot and seafood pancake arrive*
Waitress: *points to raw egg, makes cracking and diving motion, points to tofu hotpot*
Me: *nod*
Waitress: *empties out bibimbap into another container and fills stone bowl with tea*
Me: *? confused face ?*
Waitress: *points at stone bowl and makes eating motions with hands*
Me: "What the ..." *smiles and nods*
The bibimbap here isn't the best I've had but the hotpot is extremely stinkingly delicious - eat it! Thanks Marc D. for the recommendation - you are the food king!
P.S. If you're craving it, head over to Raku Raku near Metro http://www.yelp.ca/biz... or somewhere at the end of Robson. -
Review from Janice F.
5/14/2010
4 stars for the seafood pancake. Other than that, A-OK pretty much sums it up. Clean decor, helpful bright pictures of the food along the walls. Nice, concise tri-lingual menu (Korean, English, Chinese).
A bit hard to find, with a small parking lot out front. It's across from the H-Mart on North Road.
I think I really traumatized the staff by making a reservation and then sitting down without checking in. It wasn't nearly as busy as I thought it would be, so didn't think the no-show reservation would be a big deal. In an ironic twist of fate, the first time a restaurant ever calls me for a no-show reservation is this one! Difficult communicating times.. about 3 different people came over to confirm that I was indeed that reservation..
Onto the food, the tofu soup comes served hotpot style - we ordered the seafood, mild. Comes with whole small shrimp, some clams and bright red tofu and broth. Quite tasty, but small portions for the $10 price tag. I appreciate the stone rice bowl it comes with though, but don't quite understand the practice of dipping the rice into the soup at the same time.
The japchae was not as good as I hoped - thinner noodles, and soupy marinade. I like mine with more sesame flavour. The winner was definitely the seafood pancake - crispy edges, thick yet not too doughy, huge portion, lots of octopus inside.
I might be back. I think I should stick to Korean BBQ... -
Review from Desiree M.
Halifax, NS
4/22/2010
This place is so tasty! I ordered the mushroom tofu hot pot, and my friend got the same with kimchi. That, combined with all the smaller dishes, was much more than it appeared in terms of quantity. By the time we were both stuffed, there was lots left over for the take-out containers.
The tofu itself was really good - apparently they make their own on site, as I was told. And I really liked the sweet mashed potato mini dish (I forget what it's called). The broth was really tasty too. I could have done with a couple more mushrooms, but I am a huge fan of more mushrooms in general.
Definitely my new favorite hot pot place, but maybe next time I'll try something else on the menu. -
Review from Raymond O.
Vancouver, BC
4/17/2010 1 Check-in Here
Wow. After a year of not having gone back to this place, I forgot how tasty the food is. The price is perfect for the serving size. The service is friendly.
The menu is simple and if you're with a group, it wouldn't be hard to try a majority in one sitting - tofu soup, dolsot bibimbap, seafood pancake and jap chae.
It's a shame the limited parking space is a deterrent for frequent visits or an attraction for a group. Well, parking in the nearby compound is another option.
Your clothes will smell, although not as bad. But if it's laundry day then it's worth a trip. -
Review from Bob P.
Vancouver, BC
8/2/2010
One of the best Korean restaurants along North Road. Fresh, tasty, and very authentic. Some dishes are a bit pricier than others in the area. Simple menu keeps them focussed on making what they offer right. The best value are their combo meals which include a version of their nicely prepared soup.
Tip: the place is easy to miss as it's in an extensor small plaza right beside the No. 1 Fwy overpass. Parking is limited to a few cars so you might have to park at the strip mall next door. -
Review from Barry Y.
Coquitlam, BC
11/21/2010
I developed a liking for Korean tofu a couple years back visiting the Seattle, WA area. I saw it being served - bubbling tofu soup with a raw egg cracked and stirred into the soup. I was so intrigued and got hooked!!
We found House of Tofu in Coquitlam. The tofu is phenomenal. My wife and I would always share the Tofu soup (medium spicy) and beef bulgogi combo for $12.99. The menu is limited but very adequate!
Hostesses are not very good with English but yet they are attentive and alert. On the odd occasion, they are slow with service when busy but that is expected. Food service is quick and prompt. Food is authentic and the restaurant is frequented by many Korean families which is a good indication of authenticity.
The tofu is served 'bubbling' hot. Do keep in mind to order the tofu medium spicy otherwise it will taste bland. The beef bulbogi is served on an iron plate which keeps it warm. It is served with a squeeze bottle with bulgogi sauce if want it with more sauce. The man do kee (rice cakes) are very good but I go there just for the tofu soup.
The Korean appetizers are served just before the meal comes. The sweetened mash potatoe is very light and tasty. The kim chi is very flavourful - definitely home made. The seaweed and pickled turnip is just as good as the other two.
It's a no frills restaurant - great quality food with service but no décor. The restaurant is very roomy. Parking is very limited and the location makes parking difficult unless you're willing to park at the shopping plaza across the street or the one next door. Unfortunately, they're closed Tuesday and close at 9:30pm each night.
I'm definitely a fan of House of Tofu with no negative comments with the exception of the limited parking available. I do highly recommend House of Tofu to others! -
Review from Anthony M.
Grimsby, ON
5/17/2011
really enjoyed the tofu soup here!! other dishes are ok too
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Review from Gasalot H.
Burnaby, BC
12/28/2010
Been going for years and consider this one of the best places for Korean tofu soup. Don't go if you are looking for great BBQ. It's ok, but stick with the house specialty. Duh. I will echo the sentiments about the spotty service. We were the only table there early one day and we had to wave and (almost) stamp our feet to get service. They were really nice once they did come over.
